Raylene Lang-Dion registers as candidate for Ottawa city council in Alta Vista Ward

Communities in Alta Vista Ward need stronger representation to successfully manage growing challenges and opportunities of intensification and development

OTTAWA, MAY 1, 2018—Raylene Lang-Dion filed her nomination paper to run for city councillor in Alta Vista, Ward 18, today. Lang-Dion is running to provide a stronger voice for communities in Alta Vista facing the challenges and opportunities of the significant intensification and development now occurring in the ward.

“I believe it is vital to the well-being of our community to be forward-looking,” said Lang-Dion. “As one of Ottawa’s earliest established suburbs, Alta Vista ward is on the verge of unprecedented change, with intensification and displacement occurring all around its perimeter and at its heart. A councillor is elected to represent people, to ensure their voices are heard where decisions are being made, and to consult thoroughly to enable real participation in every process that affects their ward. Appropriate and strategic investments that support sustainable and future-thinking development of our neighbourhoods and city are critical, now more than ever.”

Lang-Dion has been canvassing in the ward since last October. Key issues she’s hearing about at the door, over coffee and community meetings include: the need for better representation of residents’ interests regarding development of Heron Gate, Playfair, Elmvale and the Ottawa Train Yards; improved transportation options to address traffic congestion; and better city services and programs, including upgrades to parks and playgrounds in all areas of the ward.

Residents have also expressed a strong desire for greater civic engagement by their councillor before key decisions are made. For example, the new Canterbury Rink is a fantastic recreational asset, however, many citizens in the ward were surprised to learn of the tax levy they will incur for the next decade to pay for it. Residents have also raised the need for greater transparency and accountability at City Hall for the city’s annual budget process, Lang-Dion noted.

A long-time community leader, Lang-Dion has volunteered countless hours with local organizations such as the Ottawa Youth Services Bureau, the Community Addictions Peer Support Association, the Habitat for Humanity Gala and Canadian Mothercraft. She is also the former National Chair of Equal Voice, a Canada-wide, multi-partisan organization dedicated to electing more women to all levels of government. In 2018 she received a “Leading Women/Leading Girls Building Communities Award” from the Ontario government. She was profiled in Catherine Clark’s “150 Great People of Ottawa” series in 2017 and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for recognition of her volunteer work.

Lang-Dion has lived in Alta Vista for more than 20 years, with her husband Patrick Dion and their two children, Claudia and James. She plans to take a leave of absence from her federal public service job in July to campaign full-time.